Abstract
Inner Mongolia, an autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China, has experienced severe soil erosion following a period of rapid economic development and urbanization. To investigate how urbanization has influenced the extent of soil erosion in Inner Mongolia, we used urbanization and soil erosion data from 2000 through 2010 to determine the relationship between urbanization and soil erosion patterns. Two empirical equations—the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and the Revised Wind Erosion Equation (RWEQ)—were used to estimate the intensity of soil erosion, and we performed backward linear regression to model how it changed with greater urbanization. There was an apparent increase in the rate of urbanization and a decrease in the area affected by soil erosion in 2010 compared to the corresponding values for 2000. The urban population stood at 11.32 million in 2010, which represented a 16.47% increase over that in 2000. The area affected by soil erosion in 2000 totaled 704,817 km2, yet it had decreased to 674,135 km2 by 2010. However, a path of modest urban development (rural–urban mitigation) and reasonable industrial structuring (the development of GDP-2) may partially reduce urbanization’s ecological pressure and thus indirectly reduce the threat of soil erosion to human security. Therefore, to better control soil erosion in Inner Mongolia during the process of urbanization, the current model of economic development should be modified to improve the eco-efficiency of urbanization, while also promoting new modes of urbanization that are environmentally sustainable, cost-effective, and conserve limited resources.
Highlights
Urbanization is an inevitable trend in humanity’s development, and is an important symbol of the progress made in science and technology
Urbanization occurs throughout China, it is especially prevalent in Inner Mongolia
This view applies to Inner Mongolia, for which we analyzed the spatiotemporal processes leading to urbanization and its change over time
Summary
Urbanization is an inevitable trend in humanity’s development, and is an important symbol of the progress made in science and technology. More than half of the world’s human population lives in urban areas, confirming that the world has entered the urban society age [1]. This shift has occurred in China [2,3,4]. A key aim of the Communist Party of China is to build sustainable cities, those characterized by intensive, intelligent, and green design. A sustainable city sustains the welfare of its people without jeopardizing its capacity to maintain and improve its ecosystem services [5]. It is well known that urbanization leads to substantial changes in human society, such as the promotion of economic
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